Crime Writers’ Association Announces 2026 Dagger Awards Longlists

 The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) reveal the longlists for the prestigious 2026 Dagger Awards, celebrating the very best in crime writing.

Created in 1955, the world-famous CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century.

This year’s longlists showcase the breadth of talent from internationally bestselling authors to emerging debuts.

Nadine Matheson, Chair of the CWA, said: “Congratulations to every author who appears on this year’s Dagger Awards longlist. A longlist recognition is no small thing and speaks to the dedication, craft, and ambition that goes into every book. This year's longlist also reflects something that excites me deeply as Chair of the CWA; the extraordinary range and evolution of crime writing today. The genre continues to grow in breadth, in voice, and in ambition, and this longlist is a testament to that.”

The coveted KAA Gold Dagger, sponsored by Kevin Anderson & Associates, is awarded for the best crime novel of the year. The longlist includes Abigail Dean, longlisted for The Death of Us, a powerful psychological novel also longlisted in the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and Twisted Dagger categories.

Also longlisted are British crime writers Vaseem Khan with Quantum of Menace, and Laura Shepherd-Robinson for The Art of a Lie, alongside international authors, James Lee Burke, and the late Martin Cruz Smith.

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger honours the best thriller of the year. The longlist includes global bestseller Karin Slaughter, alongside Robert Crais and Julie Clark. The Historical Dagger features acclaimed writers such as Graeme Macrae Burnet and Ariel Lawhon on the 2026 longlist.

The Twisted Dagger for psychological suspense longlists bestselling authors Lisa Jewell, Alice Feeney, and Sarah Pinborough. The Whodunnit Dagger for books with an intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery, sees SJ Bennett, Clare Mackintosh and Guy Morpuss in the running.

The global reach of the genre is showcased in the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger. International authors longlisted include Antti Tuomainen and Kotaro Isaka. Their translators are also recognised in the award, which is sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski.

Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee, said: "Once again the Daggers longlists come up with a tasty menu full of surprise inclusions and omissions, established authors and a diversity of newcomers, evidence yet again of the independence of thought of our various juries."

The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction includes The CIA Book Club by Charlie English and The Spy in the Archive by Gordon Corera, reflecting the enduring fascination with espionage and true crime.

The Short Story Dagger features crime-writing heavyweights such as Denise Mina and Peter Swanson and is one of the few high-profile awards celebrating short-form storytelling.

The Dagger in the Library, voted for by librarians, recognises authors whose bodies of work have resonated with readers over time. This year’s longlist includes bestselling names such as the Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood, Paula Hawkins, Reverend Richard Coles, and Abir Mukherjee.

The CWA Daggers are also known for providing a platform for emerging talent, with the much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger and the Emerging Author Dagger competition, sponsored by Fiction Feedback; over two dozen past winners and shortlisted debut authors have signed publishing deals to date.

The Best Crime and Mystery Publisher category recognises the publishers behind the genre’s success, with leading imprints including Faber & Faber, Pan Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster among those longlisted.

The CWA Diamond Dagger, sponsored by Karen Baugh Menuhin, is awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2026 was awarded to Mark Billingham.

The shortlists will be released on 28 May, and the winners announced at the CWA gala dinner awards night in July.

The longlists in full:                                     

CWA KAA Gold Dagger

Carnival of Lies by D.V. Bishop (Pan Macmillan/Macmillan)

Don't Forget Me, Little Bessie by James Lee Burke (Orion Fiction/Orion Fiction)

King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby (Headline)        

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (Penguin Random House/Michael Joseph)

Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

The Frozen by Ariel Lawhon (River Swift Press)          

The Rush by Beth Lewis (Profile Books/Viper)

A Voice in The Night by Simon Mason (Quercus/riverrun)

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

Hotel Ukraine by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster UK) 

The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan Macmillan/Mantle)

A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith (Bloomsbury Publishing/Raven Books)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani (Profile Books/Viper)

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby (Headline)

The Big Empty by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster UK)

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)

The Chemist by A A Dhand (HarperCollins/HQ Fiction)

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni (Amazon Publishing/ Thomas & Mercer)

A Sting in her Tale by Mark Ezra (Bedford Square Publishers/ No Exit Press)

Burying Jericho by William Hussey (Bonnier Books UK/ Zaffre)

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle Ihli (Pan Macmillan/ Pan)

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter (HarperCollins Publishers)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

The Devil Takes Bitcoin by Jake Adelstein (Scribe)      

Shadow of The Bridge: The Delphi Murders and The Dark Side of The American Heartland by Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee (Pegasus Books/Pegasus Crime)

Saffie by David Collins (Silvertail Books)        

The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB by Gordon Corera (HarperCollins/ William Collins)

The Murder Game by John Curran (HarperCollins/Collins Crime Club)

The CIA Book Club: The Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War by Charlie English (HarperCollins/ William Collins)

Murderland by Caroline Fraser (Little, Brown Book Group/Fleet)

The Einstein Vendetta: Hitler, Mussolini, And A True Story of Murder by Thomas Harding (Penguin/ Michael Joseph)

A Spy in the Family by Paul Henderson and David Gardner (Mirror Books)     

The Cleveland Street Scandal by Neil Root (The History Press)            

That Dark Spring by Susannah Stapleton (Pan Macmillan/Picador)

The Illegals by Shaun Walker (Profile Books)

Historical Dagger

A Granite Silence by Nina Allan (Quercus/riverrun)

Spoiler's Prey by Robin Blake (Severn House)

Benecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Birlinn Ltd/ Polygon)

The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster (Pan Macmillan/Mantle)

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Swift Press)

The Rush by Beth Lewis (Profile Books/Viper)

Barvick Falls by Rob McInroy (Tippermuir Books)

The Devil's Draper by Donna Moore (Fly on the Wall Press)

Gunner by Alan Parks (John Murray Press/Baskerville)

Cairo Gambit by SW Perry (Atlantic Books/Corvus)

The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan Macmillan/Mangle)

A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith (Bloomsbury Publishing/Raven Books)

 

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger

Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir (Orenda Books) translated by Victoria Cribb

Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse (Faber) translated by Florian Duijsens

Scars of Silence by Johana Gustawsson (Orenda Books) translated by David Warriner

The Lake by Jørn Lier Horst (Penguin Random House) translated by Anne Bruce

Seesaw Monster by Kotaro Isaka (Penguin Random House) translated by Sam Malissa

Red Water by Jurica Pavicic (Bitter Lemon Press) translated by Matt Robinson

The Grave in the Ice by Satu Rämö (Bonnier Books UK) translated by Kristian London

Big Bad Wool by Leonie Swann (Allison & Busby) translated by Amy Bojang

The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen (Orenda Books) translated by David Hackston

Strange Pictures by Uketsu (Pushkin Press) translated by Jim Rion

Whodunnit Dagger

The Christmas Cracker Killer by Alexandra Benedict (Simon & Schuster UK)

The Queen Who Came in from the Cold by SJ Bennett (Bonnier Books UK/ Zaffre)

Etiquette for Lovers & Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Little, Brown Book Group/Fleet)

Little Secrets by Victoria Goldman (Three Crowns Publishing UK/self-published)

A Queer Case by Robert Holtom (Titan Books)

The Margaret Code by Richard Hooton (Little, Brown Book Group/Sphere)

A Cinnamon Falls Mystery by RL Killmore (Simon & Schuster UK)

Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh (Little, Brown Book Group/Sphere)

Not Another Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton (HarperCollins/Avon)

A Trial in Three Acts by Guy Morpuss (Profile Books/Viper)

A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant (John Murray Press/Baskerville)

Bad Influence by CJ Wray (Orion Fiction)

Twisted Dagger

What Happens in the Dark by Kia Abdullah (HarperCollins/HQ Fiction)

Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke (Penguin Random House UK/Harvill)

Some of Us are Liars by Fiona Cummins (Pan Macmillan/Macmillan)

The House of Water by Fflur Dafydd (Hodder & Stoughton/Hodder Fiction)

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (Pan Macmillan/Macmillan)

Scenes From A Tragedy by Carole Hailey (Atlantic Books/Corvus)

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell (Penguin Random House/Century)

The Bodies by Sam Lloyd (Transworld/Bantam)

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough (Orion Fiction)         

59 Minutes by Holly Seddon (Orion Publishing Group/ Orion Fiction)

ILP John Creasey (First Novel) Dagger

The Malt Whiskey Murders by Natalie Jayne Clark (Birlinn Ltd/Polygon)

Etiquette for Lovers and Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Little, Brown Book Group/Fleet)

The Peak by Sam Guthrie (HarperCollins Publishers)

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenberg (Little, Brown Book Group/ Sphere)

The Lost Detective by Elspeth Latimer (Story Machine)

The Wolf Tree by Laura   McCluskey (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)

The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin (Profile Books/Viper)

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt (Bloomsbury Publishing/Raven Books)

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan (Pan Macmillan/Mantle)

Holy City by Henry Wise (Bedford Square Publishers/No Exit Press)

Short Story Dagger

 ‘Arlene’ by William Boyle in Birds, Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

 ‘Split Your Silver Tongue’ by SA Cosby in Birds, Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

‘Chest’ in Birds, by Ragnar Jónasson Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

‘The Karpman Drama Triangle’ by Denise Mina in Birds, Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

 ‘Full Circle’ by Abir Mukherjee in Playing Dead: Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club (Severn House)

‘The Apple Falls Not Far’ by Ambrose Perry (Canongate)

‘Once Upon a Time in New Jersey‘ by Zoë Sharp and John Lawton in CrimeFest: Leaving the Scene Celebrating 16 Years (No Exit Press)

 ‘Strangers on a School Bus’ by Peter Swanson in Birds, Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

 ‘Waiting’ by Michael Wood in Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me (Telos Publishing)

Dagger in the Library

Ben Aaronovitch              

Damien Boyd     

Reverend Richard Coles 

Rhys Dylan         

Paula Hawkins   

JD Kirk  

Clare Mackintosh             

Freida McFadden             

Abir Mukherjee 

Tim Sullivan       

Robert Thorogood           

Best Crime & Mystery Publisher

Allison & Busby

Baskerville (John Murray/Hachette)

Bitter Lemon Press

Constable (Little, Brown)

Faber & Faber

Harvill Vintage (Penguin Random House)

Muswell Press

No Exit Press (Bedford Square)

Pan Macmillan

Polygon (Birlinn)

Simon & Schuster

Viper (Profile Books)

 

Capital Crime Full Lineup Revealed

The wait is over! The full Capital Crime 2025 programme has landed, and it’s our biggest, boldest lineup yet.

Join us in London on 12th-13th June for an unforgettable festival packed with thrilling conversations, exclusive events, and the chance to meet your literary heroes.

Expect bestselling authors, award-winning storytellers, and crime fiction’s biggest names, including:

Michael Connelly, Steph McGovern, Jeremy Vine, Vaseem Khan, Linwood Barclay, Karin Slaughter, Richard Armitage, Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, Clare Mackintosh, Andrew Child and many many more.

Plus, we’ve just announced the Fingerprint Awards shortlists - will your favourite take the prize?

Whether you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, gripping spy fiction, or classic crime stories, there’s something for everyone. 

Weekend & day tickets are selling fast - secure yours now to avoid disappointment.

With an electrifying mix of bestselling authors, expert panels, and thrilling discussions, this year’s festival is set to be truly unforgettable.

Here’s just a taste of what’s in store over two packed days:

FRIDAY:

Thrillers That Go Bump in the Night with Linwood Barclay and Andrew Child & Nadine Matheson

Criminal Minds Throughout History with Conn Iggulden, Kate Williams & Hallie Rubenhold

Espionage for the Modern Reader: Ava Glass, Charles Cumming and Nick Harkaway & Vaseem Khan

The One You Least Suspect: Dilemmas and Decisions with David Goodman, S. M. Govett and Remi Kone & Brian McGilloway

Deception in Crime Fiction - Mark Edwards, Nicci French, Erin Kelly & Claire McGowan 

Found in Translation: Jón Atli Jónasson, Lex Noteboom, Johana Gustawsson, Thomas Enger & Quentin Bates

Terror on and off the page: social injustices in horror and high concept thrillers:  Chris Carter, Erin E. Adams, Jessie Elland & Andrea Carter

Masters of Mystery: a panel of crime writing experts: Dr Duncan Harding (forensic psychologist), Graham Bartlett (police) and Nicola Williams (practising Judge)  in conversation with criminal defence lawyer Ruth Mancini 

Crime to cool you down this summer: Will Dean, Heidi Amsinck, R. O. Thorp & Ed James

SATURDAY: 

Crime Writing Masters discussing craft and creativity: Michael Connelly in conversation with M. W. Craven 

The Appeal of Unlikeable Characters with Richard Armitage, Lisa Jewell and Steph McGovern & Jon Coates

25 Years in the Making: Mark Billingham and Karin Slaughter in conversation with Louise Minchin

Exploring the Human Mind One Thriller at a Time: with Dorothy Koomson, Ruth Ware & Anna Sharpe

From Page to Screen: Bringing crime thrillers to life: with Jane Casey, Michael Connelly andRagnar Jonasson, interviewed by Lisa Howells

Agatha Christie for the ‘Knives Out’ Generation: Kelly Mullen, Ram Murali, Jeremy Vine & Rob Rinder

Silver Anniversary Stories: celebrate 25 books with Adele Parks in conversation with David Headley

Not-so Domestic Bliss: toxic families and friendships with Andrea Mara, Asia Mackay, Claire Douglas, Caz Frear & Heidi Perks 

‘C’ is for creating communities in Crime Fiction: Suk Pannu, Rev Richard Coles, Blake Mara & Tim Sullivan

Making your mark: the different routes to telling your thriller: Barnaby Martin, Jo Callaghan and Dominic Nolan & C. B. Everett

And so much more! With over 30 incredible events, the Fingerprint Awards, surprises throughout the weekend, and the chance to meet your favourite authors, this is one festival you don’t want to miss.

The full schedule can be found here and tickets can be found here.

The Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2024: The Winners

 

Crime Fiction Lover have announced the winners of their 2024 awards. Congratulations to all the winners.

Book of the Year Winner: 

Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin

Book of the Year Editor’s Choice: 

Guide Me Home by Attica Locke

Best Debut Winner: 

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

Best Debut Editor’s Choice: 

Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney

Best in Translation Winner: 

Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jónasson, translated by Victoria Cribb

Best in Translation Editor’s Choice: 

The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani, translated by Sam Bett

Best Indie Winner: 

A Killer of Influence by JD Kirk

Best Indie Editor’s Choice: 

The Corpse with the Pearly Smile by Cathy Ace

Best Crime Show Winner: 

Ludwig

Best Crime Show Editor’s Choice: 

Slow Horses S4

Best Author Winner: 

Ian Rankin

Best Author Editor’s Choice: 

Janice Hallett

Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland jointly write crime novel to be published by Penguin Michael Joseph

 

Penguin Michael Joseph acquires REYKJAVIK by Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland

Penguin Michael Joseph has acquired Reykjavik by Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland.

Publisher Maxine Hitchcock and senior commissioning editor Rebecca Hilsdon acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from David Headley at DHH Literary Agency. PMJ have previously published Outside, The Girl Who Died, and the Hidden Iceland trilogy, all authored by Jonasson alone.

Ragnar Jonasson is the first Icelandic author to become a Sunday Times bestseller and has been described as ‘a world-class crime writer’ by The Sunday Times and ‘a landmark in modern crime fiction’ by The Times. Worldwide, he has sold over 3m copies, and is a number one bestseller in France, Germany, Australia, and his native Iceland. 

Katrin Jakobsdóttir has been Prime Minster of Iceland since 2017. Hailing from a family of prominent Icelandic poets and academics, she wrote her Master’s dissertation on Icelandic crime writing. She and Jonasson are longtime friends, who first worked together nearly ten years ago as part of the jury for an award for best crime fiction in translation in Iceland.

Reykjavik is a dual-narrative crime novel, following two strands of a mystery 30 years apart. In August 1956, a 14-year-old girl called Lara disappears from the island of Vidney,  just off the coast of Reykjavik – and becomes Iceland’s most infamous unsolved case. In 1986, as Reykjavik celebrates its 200^th anniversary tabloid journalist Valur digs into her death.

Ragnar Jonasson said: ‘In early 2020 I had lunch with Katrin Jakobsdóttir, Iceland's Prime Minister, and suggested that it might be fun writing a crime novel together. We have really enjoyed working on this story, set in Iceland in the 1950s and 1980s, and are looking forward to sharing it with readers. It's been a dream come true to work with Penguin in recent years, and I am so excited that they will be bringing this story to a wider audience, with the help of our wonderful translator Vicky Cribb.’

Katrin Jakobsdóttir said: ‘It was a real pleasure and a thrill to write this crime novel set in Iceland in the year 1986 with my friend Ragnar Jónasson. When the world is full of extreme challenges it can be quite beneficial for the soul to stay for a moment in a fictional world belonging to another era and write about sordid crimes.’

Maxine Hitchcock said: ‘We are so delighted to have another incredibly atmospheric and thrilling novel from Ragnar Jonasson -who is fast becoming one of the world’s most acclaimed crime novelists - and to welcome Katrin Jakobsdóttir to Penguin Michael Joseph. Both Ragnar and Katrin are devoted aficionados of the crime genre and combining their voices has added up to a novel that will enthral readers across the globe. The publication of REYKJAVIK will be a true event.’

Reykjavik will be published in the UK in August 2023.

For publicity enquiries please contact -

 Sriya Varadharajan at svaradharajan@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk.

Winners of the Fingerprint Awards 2022

S.A. COSBY, C.J. TUDOR & ABIGAIL DEAN 

AMONGST WINNERS OF THE 

INAUGURAL FINGERPRINT AWARDS

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse named Crime Book of the Year 2021

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby named Thriller of the Year 2021

Laura Purcell’s The Shape of Darkness wins Historical Crime Book of the year 2021

Abigail Dean wins Debut Book of the Year 2021 for Girl A

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor is named Genre-busting Book of the Year 2021

The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson, narrated by Amanda Redman, wins Audiobook Book of the Year 2021

Industry Award of the Year 2021 is awarded to HarperCollins for their Girl A campaign

Lifetime Achievement Award is posthumously awarded to Thalia Proctor

S A Cosby Photograph credit Camilo Queipo.

The winners of the inaugural Fingerprint Awards, celebrating international crime and thriller writing, were announced by actor and author Paul Clayton last night, Thursday 29th September, at Capital Crime, in the shadow of the iconic Battersea Power Station. 

The winners of six out of eight categories were voted for online by crime and thriller fans: Crime Book of the Year 2021; Thriller of the Year 2021; Historical Crime Book of the Year 2021; Debut Book of the Year 2021; Genre-busting Book of the Year 2021 and Audio Book of the Year 2021. 

Ragnar Jonasson & Amanda Redman Photograph credit Camilo Queipo.

Notable winners included Blacktop Wasteland by S.A Cosby for Thriller of the Year 2021; Girl A by Abigail Dean for Debut Book of the Year 2021 and The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson, narrated by Amanda Redman, for Audiobook Book of the Year 2021.

The winners of the Industry Award of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award were chosen solely by the Capital Crime Advisory Board. The Industry Award of the Year was won by HarperCollins for Girl A by Abigail Dean and the Lifetime Achievement Award was posthumously awarded to editor Thalia Proctor. 

Capital Crime Festival Director Lizzie Curle said: “We were honoured to kick off the inaugural Fingerprint Awards with Paul Clayton at the helm. We are grateful for all the support we have received from publishers, authors, and most importantly, the readers, who make these awards possible.”

The Fingerprint Award Winners 

Crime Book of the Year 2021

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse (Transworld)

Thriller Book of the Year 2021

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (Headline)

Historical Crime Book of the Year - 2021

Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell (Bloomsbury)

Debut Book of the Year 2021

Girl A by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins)

Genre-Busting Book of the Year 2021

The Burning Girl by C.J. Tudor (Penguin)

Audiobook of the Year 2021

The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson & Amanda Redman (Penguin)

Industry Award the year 2021

HarperCollins for Girl A

Lifetime Achievement Award (Posthumous)

Thalia Proctor

Photographs credit Camilo Queipo.

Shortlist for The Fingerprint Award 2022 announced

 

Crime novelists including Val McDermid, Janice Hallett and Abir Mukherjee have been shortlisted for the inaugural Fingerprint Awards.

The awards, which recognise the best titles in the crime genre and most of which are voted for by readers, are held as part of the Capital Crime Festival co-organised by Goldsboro Books owner and agent David Headley.

Shortlisted for the Crime Book of the Year is McDermid’s 1979 (Little, Brown), Mick Herron’s Slough House (John Murray Press) and Hallett’s debut, The Appeal (Viper), which won the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger earlier this year. Also in the running is fellow debut novelist Sarah Pearse with The Sanatorium Transworld) and Eva Björg Ægisdóttir for her second novel, Girls Who Lie (Orenda).

Lisa Jewell and Paula Hawkins have made the cut for Thriller Novel of the Year with The Night She Disappeared (Cornerstone) and A Slow Fire Burning (Transworld) respectively, while Gold Dagger-winning M W Craven is in the running for Dead Ground (Little, Brown).

Multi-award winner author Mukherjee is among those shortlisted for the Historical Crime Novel of the Year for The Shadows of Men (Vintage), his latest Wyndham & Banerjee novel, alongside Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan Macmillan).

Two other categories will be selected solely by the Capital Crime advisory board, comprised of authors, bloggers, journalists and industry figures. The categories are the Industry Award of the Year, recognising the best marketing campaign, editorial work, or publishing strategy, and the Thalia Proctor Lifetime Achievement Award, marking an outstanding contribution to the crime-writing industry.

"My vision for Capital Crime was always to make it a festival for readers and what better way to celebrate the readers who make it all worthwhile than to give them the power to decide the winners of the Fingerprint Awards?" Headley said. "Narrowing down the incredible body of work published last year to six categories of five books [each] was no mean feat but with the well-informed advisory board we’ve gathered together, I’m confident that these shortlists represent the very best of crime and thriller writing from around the world."

Readers can vote for their preferred winners here by 19th September. The winners will be announced at 7.30pm on 29th September.

Capital Crime will be hosting pitch-an-agent sessions with David Headley (D H H), Emily Glenister (DHH), Camilla Bolton (Darley Anderson) or Phillip Patterson (Marjaq).The slots are open to all unrepresented ticket holders working on their crime novel (completed novels or full synopsis preferred) as part of the Next Generation of Voices afternoon takeover at the festival this autumn. To apply for a slot, contact info@capitalcrime.org.

The shortlists in full:

Crime Book of the Year 2021

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse (Transworld)

1979 by Val McDermid (Little, Brown)

The Appeal by Janice Hallett (Viper)

Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdottir (Orenda Books)

Slough House by Mick Herron (John Murray Press)

Thriller Book of the Year 2021

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (Transworld)

Dead Ground by M W Craven (Little, Brown)

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell (Cornerstone)

Knife Edge by Simon Mayo (Transworld)

Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean (Hodder & Stoughton)

Historical Crime Book of the Year 2021

A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago (Bloomsbury)

The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell (Bloomsbury)

Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd Robinson (Pan Macmillan)

The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage)

A Comedy of Terrors by Lindsay Davis (Hodder & Stoughton)

Debut Book of the Year 2021

Girl A by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins)

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner (Bloomsbury)

Welcome to Cooper by Tariq Ashkanani (Amazon Publishing)

How to Kidnap the Rich by Rahul Raina (Little, Brown

Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison (Pan Macmillan)

Genre-Busting Book of the Year 2021

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Bloomsbury)

How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie (HarperCollins) 

The Burning Girls by C J Tudor Penguin Books)

Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi (Penguin Books)

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch (Orion)

Audiobook of the Year 2021

People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd (Pan Macmillan)

The Girl Who Die by Ragnar Jónasson (Orenda Books

True Crime Story by Joseph Knox (Transworld)

A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz (Cornerstone)

I know what I Saw by Imran Mahmood (Bloomsbury)

Capital Crime launches 2022 Festival Programme and announces new venue

 

Capital Crime launched their 2022 programme with a bang last night at leading independent bookshop, Goldsboro Books, at a party to announce their stellar line up and spectacular new location. 

Taking place in the shadow of the iconic Battersea Power Station from 29th September – 1st October 2022, Capital Crime will bring together readers, authors, industry figures and the local community for the first major literary festival held on the site for a weekend of fun, innovation and celebration of crime fiction. 

Consisting of over 40 events and over 150 panelists, the line-up will include appearances from Peter James, Kate Mosse, Mark Billingham, Richard Osman, Robert Harris, SA Cosby, Dorothy Koomson, Jeffrey Archer, Anthony Horowitz, Charlie Higson, Jeffery Deaver, Lucy Foley, Bella Mackie, Ragnar Jónasson, Paula Hawkins, Reverend Richard Coles, Mark Edwards, Claire McGowan, Ben Aaronovitch and Former President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, Lady Hale, in conversation with Harriet Tyce. 

Their full schedule of innovative panel talks will be announced later in the summer. 

As part of the live festival this year, Capital Crime’s Social Outreach Initiative will be returning for a third year with the aim to create an inclusive, safe space where state school students with an interest in books can engage with authors, agents, editors and publishers to help demystify the publishing industry. 

The festival will also be launching the coveted Fingerprint Awards, which celebrate the best in genre, as chosen by readers. In 2022 the Fingerprints will present eight awards as well as a prestigious lifetime achievement award. 

Co-founded by David Headley, the owner of one of London’s destination bookshops, which attracts visitors from all over the world, Capital Crime 2022 will serve as a major London attraction, following the regeneration of the local Battersea area and improved transport links. 

Festival Founder, David Headley, said: “I am so delighted that Goldsboro Books and Capital Crime, along with our valued festival sponsors, will be working in partnership this year to bring a bigger and better live celebration of crime fiction back to London. We were so proud of what we achieved at our inaugural festival, and look forward to welcoming authors and readers to our new, exciting venue.” 

Festival Director, Lizzie Curle, said: “After what’s been an emotional few years, we are so grateful to our readers, authors and sponsors for their support, and are thrilled to be reuniting household name authors, new voices in fiction and their fans at our new home in Battersea Park. Though this Capital Crime event may look a little different from the outside; diversity, inclusivity and accessibility remain at the heart of our festival. We can’t wait to celebrate the best genre in the world, and hope everyone will agree it’s been worth the wait.” 

With diversity, accessibility, inclusivity and readers at the heart of the festival, Capital Crime this year will take place in a series of large stretch-tented venues for multiple panel events, signing area, a stunning bar area central to the festival, a pop up Goldsboro Books bookshop in the iconic Pump House Gallery, and an array of London’s tastiest street food traders. 

Weekend and Day Passes are available from the Capital Crime website: 

www.capitalcrime.org/product/capital-crime-festival-2022